Paris Air Show pits aviation giants for new orders
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The Paris Air Show, the world’s largest and oldest aviation showcase, has opened in Paris today with airlines looking for a cleaner, cheaper way to fly and aircraft makers will be angling for billions in new contracts, Associated Press reported.It said the search for more environmentally friendly aircraft is a major theme at this year’s show, in the wake of rising fuel costs. The International Air Transport Association last month warned that natural disasters in Japan, unrest in the Middle East and rising fuel prices would cause airline industry profits to collapse only a year after showing a recovery.More than 2,100 exhibitors from 45 countries have signed up to take part in the weeklong event showcasing both commercial and defense aircraft. Airbus expects to get more orders for a new, more fuel-efficient version of its workhorse A320 shorthaul jet, while Boeing is spotlighting its new mid-range 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 intercontinental passenger jets, according to the report.Airlines squeezed by higher fuel prices are rushing to order the jet, which isn’t scheduled to come into service until late 2015. The report said Boeing would decide in the coming months whether to upgrade its existing 737 model or design a whole new plane, which wouldn’t be in the air until the end of the decade.The report said Boeing and Honeywell are both boasting of having the first biofuel-powered trans-Atlantic flight, with Boeing flying in its 747-8 freighter from Seattle on a mix of biofuel and jet fuel, while Honeywell touts the “green jet fuel” it developed to power a Gulfstream business jet.The report added that the airshow would again pit Boeing and Airbus for dominance in booking new orders. Many airlines in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East have been ordering hundreds of new aircraft.Last week Boeing upped its forecast for aircraft demand over the next 20 years, saying airlines will need US$4 trillion worth of new planes to meet a pickup in passenger numbers, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.Going into this week’s event, Airbus has taken in 176 gross orders this year, compared to Boeing’s 183 gross orders.
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